Leeds United are set to make Barcelona’s Junior Firpo their second summer signing after the two clubs agreed a deal for the 24-year-old.
Marcelo Bielsa had earmarked left back as a position he was keen to bolster his options in and Leeds are on the verge of getting their man, with a deal imminent.
Firpo only joined Barcelona from Real Betis two seasons ago but has been forced to deal with a more peripheral role than he would have liked at the Camp Nou.
The 24-year-old has struggled to dislodge first choice Jordi Alba since his move to Catalonia, making 41 appearances and scoring two goals during his time at the club.
Firpo is expected to become the first of several players to depart Barcelona this summer, with a mass exodus in the offing as new club president Joan Laporta attempts to cut the club’s huge wage bill.
Reducing the wage bill is just one of a number of things on Laporta’s to do list following his election in March, with the most pressing of those being Lionel Messi’s new contract.
Messi’s original deal with the Spanish giants expired on July 1 and he is therefore free to speak to other clubs, something which Laporta will be keen to get sorted as soon as possible. Talk of a switch to Paris St Germaina nd even Manchester City has been mooted, with Barca desperate to keep hold of their prize asset.
The more pressing matter of Messi’s future has ultimately had an effect on Leeds’ deal for Firpo, with everything almost all agreed for him to make the move to West Yorkshire.
A medical and paperwork are the only aspects of the deal that are thought to be currently standing between official confirmation, and, if there had been a quicker resolution to Messi’s future, then Firpo just may have already been a Leeds player by now.
While Firpo's link to Leeds has only recently emerged, it's a deal the Whites have been working on for quite a while, keeping the move quiet and out of the press while speculation around other targets increased.
Barca have had pressing matters beyond Firpo, but what has been an initial hold up which prevented a deal before pre-season training started at Leeds, has now finally been resolved with news expected next week of the move being formalised.
